Marley & Me

Tour the Home in the Movie, Marley & Me

Years ago a friend suggested I might enjoy reading the book Marley & Me because we had a “Marley” dog. Jake, our sweet, rambunctious and very badly behaved Golden Retriever, ate our kitchen for the first two years of his life. I am not exaggerating. He really ate the kitchen….the whole kitchen. He ate the chair rail, baseboards, door moldings (both stained and painted), kitchen cabinets, the rungs on the breakfast chairs, the walls, the wallpaper, and the hardwood flooring. Everything. He ate everything…and then some. The repairs and buying new furniture was quite expensive, except for all the molding which I replaced myself with the help of a plastic miter box from The Home Depot.

Jake was unrelenting and no amount of training worked. We read books, talked to the vet and took him to dog obedience training, beginning and advanced classes. We tried everything! I won’t even describe what he did when we put him in his huge doggy crate one night to avoid having him loose and unattended while we slept. You know that old rule that says dogs won’t “go” where they sleep. Wrong. Whoever wrote that rule had never met Jake.

When crating him didn’t work, I left him out of the crate in the laundry room itself overnight. Just imagine the worst thing ever and multiply that a thousand times and you’ll be close. A hazmat suit would not have been enough. That definitely goes down in my book as one of the worse days of my life.

My husband and I had grown up with cats so Jake was our families very first experience with owning a dog, and it was a memorable one. When Jake went to doggy heaven at age 13, I cried without stopping for three solid days and nights. I couldn’t sleep, eat or even swallow water. It was bad. I am a total wimp when it comes to losing a pet…a total wimp. Y’all may have to have me committed when Max goes to kitty heaven one day. Seriously.

When the book, Marley & Me, was made into a movie (starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) and I found out the ending, I knew there was no way this girl was going to go see it. I later discovered there was a wonderful house in the movie.

Have you seen Marley & Me? Well, if you didn’t, or if you did and loved the house…guess what?! We can all take a tour because it is on the market and available for purchase! Apparently, it was listed for sale in April of this year, but a friend e-mailed me last night to let me know it has just gone on the market. All the recent articles I found today state it has just been listed. Ummm, maybe they pulled it off the market and decided to wait a bit and then relisted it. I noticed the price has dropped a fair amount from the quoted price in April.

The Marley and Me house located in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, is listed at $1.25 million. The real estate listing describes it as a “greeting-card perfect stone house.”

The home was built in 1830 of native stone and has 5 bedrooms and 3 baths. It definitely has great curb appeal. Ummm, is that a ghost looking out that top left window? 😉

The home sits on 16 acres of land and has a beautiful entry/driveway.

Let go inside and and take the full tour. I’d love to know if you think it still looks as it did in the movie.

This appears to be the living room..kind of formal, isn’t it? I love the wall color. What would you call that color? It feels like it should be called “wheat.” I just made that up…have no idea what color it really is. Love the built-in bookshelves. Wonder where those French doors lead?

This home is owned by John and Lisa Ennis. Is that the front door? It looks like a front door but I doubt the home would open into a dining area. Ummm, maybe we’ll figure this out as we move through the tour.

You can really see the spacial relationship between the above dining area and the living room in this pic below. One interesting fact about the movie: the furniture, quilts and artwork belonging to the Ennises‘ actually stayed in the home during the filming which lasted two months.

This is definitely the dining room. Do you like the casual feel of this house? The living room seemed to be more formal than the dining room. From the photo in Philadelphia Magazine, the light fixture appears to be real candles and not electric.

A view of the dining room from the opposite angle. It’s obvious the owners value hand-made crafted items, like the beautiful wall hanging. I wonder if that’s an antique floor cloth? The bowl on the table is filled with sea urchins one of the owners collected on a dive in the Bahamas.

The Kitchen: Interesting how you step down to enter the kitchen. It appears to be on the basement level, doesn’t it? I love a table in the kitchen itself…feels like home. I bet this is where the family normally ate.

A close-up of the kitchen from an article in Philadelphia Magazine HERE.

Wow, look at that old stove! The collection of blue and white transferware is really stunning against the warmth of the old wood.

This home feels very much like those I’ve toured on trips to Colonial Williamsburg.

Here’s a close-up of the cabinet on the right side in the above photo.

This must be the family room or den…looks comfy and cozy.

Ahh, I think we know where the French doors led…onto a beautiful screened-in porch.

Back inside, it’s time to go upstairs. The main part of the home is three stories tall.

I’m guessing this is the Master Bedroom…

I’ve heard these gas stoves can really warm up a space.

This bath has beautiful Carrara tile and a wonderful claw foot soaking tub. It also has a “frameless” glass shower. I like that!

Another one of the 5 bedrooms…

Another bedroom…and this one is furnished with twin beds. We see more of the families collected handmade needlework decorating the walls.

An exercise room in what was probably once attic space. This would be a cheerful, sunny place to work out.

There are four other buildings on the property and one houses the studio for Lisa Ennis who is a fine arts photographer of landscapes and botanicals. I wonder if this is her studio.

~~~SIGH~~~ Now, this is “greeting-card perfect,” isn’t it? What a great barn!

I think this photo below from Philadelphia Magazine is my favorite picture of the old stone farmhouse. Since I never saw the movie, Marley & Me (and probably never will since I’m a major weenie) is this mostly how it looked in the movie when it came out in 2008? The listing indicates there have been some renovations, so I’m guessing it doesn’t look exactly as it did in the movie. If you saw the movie, fill me in on any changes or what still looks the same. I’d love to know!

For my kitchen renovation, click HERE

For additional Movie House Tours, click on the category heading Movie House Tours at the top of this blog or click, HERE.

I read the book and watched the movie and whilst reading the book I came to respect the author so much for the amazing person he is!! Your Jake sounds a handful!! I have a Lab called Smirnoff who is just so docile and well behaved it is extreme as well, since he doesn't even bark! Considers it beneath him to raise his voice at anything mundane. When he does suddenly utter a bark we get the fright of our lives!!!

I listened to the Audio book version od Marley and me -which I do sometimes when I am crafting, and could not see what I was doing through my tears at the end of the book, so definitely give it a miss…OR read the book and rip out the last 10 pages, hahaha!!The house is great, wish I could move in right away.Wonder which bits of the kitchen Marley ate :-))My labrador Sophie who must now surely be playing with Jake and Marley in the great and green meadows in the sky, bless her, ate huge bits out of the wall in my kitchen, and nice chuncks out of the kitchen table, mmm.:-)))

Gorgeous home! Thanks for sharing! You are correct, it is "greeting-card perfect".

Oh, I feel for you with your Jake story and the laundry room. I had the same thing happen, only it was on a Saturday afternoon while we were at our daughter's wedding. We came home, with out-of-town company in tow, to that. It does go down as the worst doggie moment!!

As for the color of paint in the living room, could that be Sherwin-Williams Restrained Gold? It sure looks like my wall color!

I can really relate to your Jake story, Susan. When our 12 year old Cody went to doggy heaven I thought I would die myself. I can't imagine going through that again. When my Ben goes I may just go with him!

Thanks for the tour! I just watched this movie two nights ago and cried like a baby ~ we had to put our 16 year old "Marley" down 3 weeks ago, so the movie's ending almost killed me.Still a great story and a beautiful {and interesting} home. 🙂

Susan – The house is very similar to the way it looked in the movie (get your tissues and put on your big girl panties. You will cry, but you will love it. I put it off too, but loved the movie and the house!)I wrote a column about movie houses last month, when I learned the Home Alone house and this one were for sale. Here it is.

Susan,The house is very similar to the way it was in the movie. Get a box of tissues and put on your big girl panties and watch it! You will cry, but you will love it. It took me awhile to watch it, but I am glad I did. (And the house is worth it!)Here is a link to a column I wrote last month when I learned the Home Alone house and this one were for sale.

I had to catch snippets of the movie to see this home, because this story is to close to home. My son and his family have a twelve year old lab named Beau, they live in Fl and have a three year old. Can't watch this movie. I love this house and always wanted to see more of it, now I want a house like this! Thanks for sharing this great house so I don't have to watch a sad movie to see it.

Beautiful house.. I always have loved stone. I too, never wanted to see the movie, just for the reasons you stated… but just this weekend, I caught the very end… shoot, now I am going to have to go & watch the whole thing.. : ) Thanks for sharing this wonderful place.

I did watch the movie a few months after my beloved pug Bennie died and I cried for a week, got sick, me defences became low from sadness. Susan, you're not the only weenie, I didn't know what the outcome of the movie was going to be, so my hubby and I started to cry again and he got a little mad at me for bringing him this (beautiful) movie. Don't see it! Thanks for the tour of this gorgeous home and best wishes and health for your furrys! Love, FABBY

I did see the movie, "ONCE", but didn't like the fact Marley had to die so I won't be watching it again(we lost our best friend last year)and I haven't recovered yet…Although I ALWAYS notice the homes, and decor, etc in EVERY MOVIE. Somehow this movie I neglected to notice the surrounding other than the characters…I'm a BIG Owen Wilson fan! That is a gorgeous home with fantastic bones and great surroundings. LOVE IT! My area here in New England is PEPPERED with those too… Thank you for sharing it with us…Have a wonderful week,Hugs,Donna

What a fabulous house! We also had a doggie with exquisite taste! FOR EVERYTHING!! Kitchen, floor, chair cushions, wood (especially wood) (or plastic)! Punctured his cheek twice, had to have a drain put in. We actually had one credit card just for Bruno events! We loved him sooo much… He was the sweetish beagle. Now, just kitties… another story…. Blessings, Linda

Sigh….I think I've died and gone to heaven!!! I absolutely LOVE that house and I covet it!! Now if I only had family living in Pennsalvania….if I only had a reason to move to Pennsylvania….if I only had 1.25 $$$…then it would be mine! 🙂

Hi Susan,what a fun to read about your do. Misbehaving or not, he will ever stay in your memories. And I see him smile on the photo! It is always hard when furry friends pass away. I don't know this moovie but sound like big fun.Best greetings, Johanna

Hi Susan,Gorgeous home. I live about an hour from Chadd's Ford…very beautiful, upscale community. Lots of old, colonial stone homes. This one is particularly beautiful.Don't rent this movie…it's a tear-jerker.

Susan,I cannot watch animal movies either. However, I did read Marley and Me, and then accidentally saw the END of the movie.After that, I actually watched the whole thing.The house is beautiful. We live about 45 minutes from that area.

Wow! I love this house! It's always been my dream to live in an old historic stone house. While I can't afford it, I would love to buy some of those lovely antiques inside? I wonder if there will be an estate sale? I wonder why so many movie houses are up for sale this year. This one is one of the homier ones!

ummm… while the house is amazing… your reason for not seeing the movie…. is EXACTLY why I did not and will not go see the MOVIE!! I am a wimp when it comes to pets!!! My 17lb Schnauzer has her moments … but I would not trade those moments for anything!!!! I was soooooo laughing at your remarks!! soooo funny… 🙂

Like you, I refused to see the movie or read the book. I had a few foster dogs that were like Marley and your Jake! I had to replace half my house because of them! It looks like a lovely home, thank you for the tour.

OMG! has anyone ever watched the Hallmark movie "HACHI"??? It stars Richard Gere. I cried for days after seeing it-then my three daughters came for a visit, and I had them crying just telling them about it!! It is still on the Hallmark channel once in a while.

Wow is that an awesome home. I remember the front of it and the barn but was watching the characters and Marley of course along with the kids.
My daughter, knowing how I am about my animals warned me not to read the book or see the movie. She was so right as I bawled my head off when we saw the movie on Hallmark.
We’d had to have our black cocker put to sleep after more than 14 delightful years with her in our lives. It took me a long time to be able to think about getting another dog. And about the movie with Richard Gere and Hachi, oh boy was it a heart breaker. I can’t watch the movie any more, it just breaks my heart. Gee am I a sucker for animals or what.
When they show the ad for ASPCA with the abused cats and dogs I cry. What a cry baby I’ve become in my old age.
We did adopt another dog over 3 yrs ago at a PetSmart adoption day. He’s not exactly what we went looking for that day. When we were on our way there our granddaughter called to tell us she’d found our new dog. They had alot of big black dogs that day. Tommy was 1 yr. old, had been at 3 different shelters. He’d been abused by an older woman I think as he’s still a little leary of me and I’ve never even raised my voice/hand to him. He was skinny, his fur was stiff and dull. He proceeded to eat my wicker chairs on our front porch, the trim, the railings, you name it. We got him in early Nov. and he didn’t want to be in the house very much. He preferred to lay out on a table on the snow for hours. We had to keep him on a tether at first til we got the yards fenced in or he’d run away. I hated keeping him on a tether but didn’t have much choice. We live close to a highway, was so afraid he’d get out there (a block away) and get hit. We got the yards fenced just in time for me to get my left knee replaced, I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle him on the tether after the surgery.
He’s now a little chubby during the winter months and so lovable, smart as a whip,, so bright. He’s black lab and border collie. What a joy he is in our lives. We feel that he was meant for us. He gets plenty of love every day and that seems to be what he needs the most. He seems to remember alot of things. He’s still very protective of his toys. Better end this. sorry for going on about him, not like we really love him or anything.
We have a cat too that adopted us in KY, he’s Tommy’s buddy. They have such a good time running thru the house in winter when Monte (cat) gets cabin fever. It’s hilarious to watch.
Thanks of reading this. I read the comments about your Jake and felt better about being such a softy for furry babies. Happy 2013

JaneEllen, I’m the same way…can’t watch a movie where anything happens to an animal. You are so kind to adopt Tommy. I know it’s frustrating when they eat our furniture! I didn’t think Jake would ever quit eating stuff he shouldn’t but he finally did. That is amazing that Tommy likes laying on snow over being inside! He really does love the outdoors. Your furrbabies surely sound like they have a great life! 🙂 It was meant to be. 🙂

Love the house. Loved the movie but truthfully cried my eyes out. We lost our first dog last summer after a year of caring for her as she was paralyzed in the back legs and couldn’t walk. Everything thought we should just put her down but, with the help of a wonderful vet that makes house calls, we learned how to care for her. My husband would carry her up to our bedroom at night and she would sleep in a chair near our bed. It was hard work and stressful but would not have done it different. When we finally had to put her down it was the worst time ever. Cried for days!

Cyndi, I went through something similar last summer with my cat…he had cancer and I spent over $8,000 trying to cure it but it didn’t work. It was brutal and I haven’t been able to get another pet since. They are like furchildren and I just can’t ever go through that again. It always hits me really hard when I lose a furbaby, but at least in the past they were very old and had been aging for a long time so you knew it was coming, not that it helped much. This time, it was a sudden illness and just too depressing to share the details. Still, a year later, I get so depressed if I think about it, so I try not to. I’m just counting on us seeing them again one day…that would be heaven for me.